How many square feet in an 80 lb bag of cement?

lunajade(6)May 20, 2004

Can anyone tell me how many square feet I would get out of an 80 lb bag of cement? I plan to use 2x4's turned on their "2" inch side to make my forms when I pour the concrete. That way I would have a deep enough depth (approx. "4") to make pavers for my garden path. I believe I read somewhere that there is approx. 4 sq feet in that amount of cement.

mount of ground... curiously it is a good questin that isn't answered on the bag, never knew why it doesn/t ... so at 4 inches deep 2/3 of a cubic foot will cover 2 sq ft...... but of cours you wouldn't use cement you would use either mortar or concrete... but then a four inche thick paver is really quite thick! 2 inches with rebar and micro fibers would do nicely. ... so you could get 4 sq ft out of a bag...
;=) A

I do tend to use the terms concrete and cement interchangeably. Did I mean an 80 lb bag of concrete???
The project I have in mind is to replace a garden path which meanders around the entire yard. The path right now is covered with a type of mulch (my supplier calls it playground mulch). This has to be replenished every 2nd or 3rd year. I would like (I think) to replace it over time with concrete pavers. I would also like to embed various found objects into the concrete such as smooth pebbles etc. just to make it more interesting than plain concrete. But I would keep that sort of thing quite simple. Thanks for your input.

Concrete is a mixture of cement and aggregate. You can buy bags of cement, and add your own aggregate, and MAKE concrete. Alternatively, you can buy pre-mixed sacks of CONCRETE and just add water. You probably meant concrete. I have no idea how many feet in a bag--the bag probably says.

If you don't mind sweating a little, you can usually buy a nice playground mix of sand, and a sac of portland, and mix your own in a 5 gallon bucket using an electric drill and mortar bit. Measure how much sand it takes to fill your molds. Use a 1part cement to 2 parts or even 3 parts sand and add water (Will vary greatly on each batch) I make my own pavers and only do 6 at a time, but only mix enough cement for 3 at a time. They are about 15"x15"x21/2" and each one weights approx. 20lbs. I have a few that are 4" thick by 30" and they weigh 120lbs. Not fun to move at all. At 21/2 " and a high portland ratio, a car can drive on them once they are cured. I like making my own mix because I have control of the consistancy, I started out using a pre-mix, and it varies with brands, what size aggregate. Most importantly, you need to use the entire bag each time, as the portland may settle in the bag unevenly. I purchased the sand from a local retail by the yard at about $10 a yard. Portland is cheap also, so my pavers are costing about $1.00 including the cost of the molds($500.00) another thing to remember is that you can always add more water, but not more cement to your mix. MIght also want to think about a release agent for your forms, if you plan on reusing them again.

Try something different. Blow off the pavers and pour your concrete [1 to 3 ratio or bags] then after screeding put rock salt on top and trowel in. After it rains the salt dissolves and leave a very nice effect. Another trick I use is to mix the concrete a little wet then after several hours put pet food in the middle of your work and in the morning you will have fossils. Your freinds will really love this.